The Study
Kits for Kids started as a way to give kids something to do besides being on devices. As I built it, I realized that handing out these kits was also a chance to gather something hard to find: real, ground-level information about how young children use screens, and how that connects to how they're doing emotionally.
The Questions I'm Trying
To Answer:
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How much, and in what ways, do young kids actually use screens day to day?
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How does that connect to their well-being — their mood, sleep, focus, and worry?
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Do these patterns look different for kids of different races, genders, and family income levels?
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Does giving kids a hands-on alternative (the kit) change anything, even a little?
Why It Matters:
Many school's and districts are already making screen rules, phone bans, restricted access to AI on school monitored devices, and other device policies. All this is being done without much local information to go on. If screen time/use patterns do differ based on demographics, then a single one size fits all rule will help some kids, but miss others. Highglighting precisely what those differences are can be helpful in making screen policy decisions that are helpful for everyone.
What I expect to find: (My Hypothesis)
I expect that heavier screen use will line up with worse well-being, and that the effect will be stronger in communities with fewer offline things to do.
How I think information will differ depending on demographics:
Gender bias: I beleive that screen use will have different impacts based on gender, and that girl's social-emotional well being is more drastically impacted with excessive screen use because of their emotional make-up and use of social media from a younger age, compared to boys.
Social-economic backround:
How I'm Doing It: (My Method)
I hand out kits through libraries and elementary schools. Along with each kit, a parent can fill out a short, optional, anonymous survey about their child's screen use and how they're doing, with a follow-up a few weeks later. The booklet's badge system also gives me a simple sense of how engaged each child was.
Branding
Looking at different groups of kids:
I'm purposefully reaching more than one community, so I can look at differences between demographics. Wherever I have enough responses, I'll look separately at kids of different races, genders, and family income levels, to see how screens affect different groups respectively, instead of averaging the results.
Doing This Responsibly:
This involves children, so it has to be handled with care. Taking part is completely optional, the surveys are anonymous, and I never publish anything that could identify a child. The parent or guardian always gives permission before the child participates, and are directly involved in the process. In addition, I'm actively looking for guidance from teachers and researchers on doing this the right way.
What the first round can and can't show:
Starting with about 20 kits is a first try, not the final result. The group is small, and the families who say yes may not represent everyone. I'm treating early results as hints and direction, not proof. Being upfront about this is important to me, as I want to do this with integrity, and full transparency.
From what I learn to what I should change:
My end goal is to turn what I find into something a school board or city council could actually use: a short, clear, evidence-based summary of where offline alternatives help most, and which kids the current screen rules are leaving out.